Connecticut residents mmay not be aware that men can get breast cancer. Men have breast tissue and, though they are usually not functional, the glands for producing milk and the ducts for carrying it to the nipple. Though breast cancer in men is very rare, there are som common types that affect them.
For example, 8 in 10 male breast cancer patients have invasive ductal carcinoma, which affects the milk ducts. Being invasive, it can spread to the fatty tissue and even to other parts of the body through the blood or lymphatic system. Next, 1 in 10 men with breast cancer have ductal carcinoma in situ. It’s called “in situ” because normally it’s non-invasive. Though it may become invasive, it can be cured through surgery.
Then there’s invasive lobular carcinoma, which affects 2% of male breast cancer patients and starts in the lobules, the milk-producing glands. Inflammatory breast cancer is also rare but should be noted because, unlike other breast cancers, it does not form a lump in the breast. Rather, it makes the breast red, warm, swollen and tender. Most of the time, men with an abnormal growth in their breast have a benign tumor. They may have a well-known condition called gynecomastia, which enlarges the breasts.
Breast cancers, even in women, can be misdiagnosed or diagnosed only after the cancer has done irreparable harm. Victims of a diagnostic error may want to see a medical malpractice lawyer because there may be evidence that the doctor committed the error out of negligence. If there is, victims may file a claim against the practitioner and facility and be compensated for their past and future medical expenses, their lost wages and future lost income and other monetary and non-monetary losses.
